Chapter 658

Spear Venerable seemed like a good person.

Unlike Sword Demon, he did not scold Su-ho, and if he felt hurt, he honestly said that he felt hurt.

Nor did he make Su-ho begin training the moment he arrived in Spear Realm. Instead, they drank together and took time to get to know each other.

They spoke freely and comfortably.

Spear Venerable was a sponsor Constellation bound to him by contract, so he was someone Su-ho could trust. And since Spear Realm was a place where time could be slowed just like Sword Demon’s realm, there was less pressure on him regarding time.

In particular, the two of them spoke at length about martial arts, and Spear Venerable praised Su-ho’s reason for learning Overlord Spear Art.

- That was a good idea. In the end, all streams return to a single origin, so every technique is bound to converge into one. And when it comes to thrusting, at least, the spear is supreme. In truth, the real king of all weapons is the spear, not the sword, isn’t it?

Opinions differed somewhat on that point, but Su-ho agreed to a certain extent.

If a beginner had to use one, a spear that kept the opponent at a distance was actually easier to handle.

Su-ho nodded.

“Now that you mention it, I discovered some rather useful principles in fist arts as well. Once I reached the Pinnacle, I found principles I had never even imagined.”

- Such as?

“Destruction Fist Art actually possessed a magical principle closer to creation than destruction.”

- Oh, how fascinating. Heavy Strike Style is the complete opposite.

“Does Heavy Strike Style focus more heavily on destruction?”

- How many forms have you learned so far?

“I have learned up to the third form, Hundred Strikes.”

- How many forms of Heavy Strike Style did you see?

Spear Venerable knew as well.

That Su-ho was a regressor.

That made the conversation easier.

Su-ho recalled Xiang Yu, the successor of Heavy Strike Style in his previous life.

At the time, Xiang Yu had been capable of using Ten Thousand Strikes.

It was called Ten Thousand Strikes because a single thrust produced the effect of thrusting ten thousand times.

“I saw up to Ten Thousand Strikes.”

- Ten Thousand Strikes would be the fifth form......

Spear Venerable stroked his beard, then grinned.

- Then here is a question. Just how many forms do you think Heavy Strike Style has?

“I’m not sure. Ten Thousand Strikes was the highest I saw.”

- Then I suppose I shouldn’t tell you. It is more enjoyable to discover things yourself.

“Can’t you just tell me?”

- No. Heavy Strike Style is a secret art consisting entirely of thrusts, so first, try reaching Ten Thousand Strikes.

“Understood.”

- Then shall we start moving?

At Spear Venerable’s suggestion, the two of them rose and moved elsewhere.

Their destination was a rocky mountain behind the city.

When they reached its summit, piles of boulders could be seen everywhere.

- There are a lot of rocks, aren’t there? That is why this place is called Rocky Mountain.

“The scenery is beautiful.”

- That is also why I come here often. The rocks here are special.

“Special?”

- Yes. The rocks here are harder than most metals. Would you like to touch one?

Rocks harder than metal?

Su-ho had heard that such rocks occasionally existed, but this was his first time seeing one in person.

Following Spear Venerable’s suggestion, he touched one. Just as Spear Venerable had said, it possessed a deep solidity that surpassed metal.

- Catch.

Spear Venerable tossed the wooden staff he had been carrying to Su-ho.

After Su-ho caught it, Spear Venerable said,

- You said your current level was Hundred Strikes, correct?

“Yes, that’s right.”

- Hundred Strikes will not even scratch the rocks here. You would need at least Thousand Strikes to barely carve a groove into one.

“Then would Ten Thousand Strikes be enough to make a hole?”

- Correct. So first, reach the point where you can pierce a hole through this rock.

Spear Venerable pointed to one of the boulders.

It looked roughly twice Su-ho’s height.

- For reference, you would be wise not to break the wooden staff. Heavy Strike Style that works only by consuming and replacing weapons is not true Heavy Strike Style.

“Is this wooden staff important to you, Spear Venerable?”

- Of course not.

“What happens if I break it?”

- Who knows? If you are curious, try breaking it.

That was frightening.

Why did hearing that from someone who seemed so friendly feel even more frightening than being threatened by Sword Demon?

Spear Venerable waved a hand and began descending the mountain. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

- I will be in the village, so once you achieve Ten Thousand Strikes, come down and find me.

“Yes, understood.”

- Ah, one more thing.

“Yes?”

- It would be best to reach Ten Thousand Strikes using nothing but the wooden staff. Otherwise, you will make no real progress.

“Ah, yes.”

After bowing respectfully, Su-ho swung the wooden staff several times.

When he sent mana through it, its durability seemed weaker than expected.

‘I really will have to be careful with it.’

But what meaning was there in practicing Heavy Strike Style with such a weak weapon?

There had to be something.

Spear Venerable had reached the level of a master because he understood something Su-ho did not.

Su-ho stopped speculating and began swinging the wooden staff in earnest.

Clunk!

The wooden staff struck the boulder.

However, the instant its tip collided with the rock, Su-ho froze in surprise.

“That was a little......”

Dangerous.

An ordinary person might not have noticed, but Su-ho had felt it.

The instant the tip of the wooden staff touched the rock, an extremely small crack had formed in it.

That had been dangerous.

At this rate, forget training—he would destroy the wooden staff almost immediately.

‘What should I do?’

Su-ho stared intently at the tip of the staff he had pulled back.

No matter how he looked at it, there was no answer to be found in the staff itself.

However carefully he examined it, it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary wooden staff.

But to train, he seemingly had to strike the rock with it, and if he did, the staff seemed certain to break.

After thinking for a long while, Su-ho finally reached a conclusion.

‘I only need to comprehend the technique, don’t I?’

When Su-ho had advanced Heavy Strike Style from its first form, One Strike, to its third form, Hundred Strikes, he had never once practiced by striking anything.

He had simply practiced by thrusting into empty air.

The forms of Heavy Strike Style were themselves meant to contain the effect of multiple thrusts within a single thrust.

That did not mean ten or a hundred actual thrusts had literally been compressed into one.

It simply meant the force had become that much stronger.

‘Compressing the time needed to thrust ten times into a single thrust? How would that make any sense? It doesn’t.’

Therefore, this time as well, he intended to achieve progress through repeated practice alone.

‘Let’s try it.’

Su-ho’s wooden staff began cutting through the air.

***

How much time had passed?

Su-ho’s body was drenched in sweat.

The sun had already set, and a new sun had risen.

Yet despite that, he had made no progress whatsoever.

His mind suffered more than his body.

It was strange.

He had comprehended Vacuum Style quite smoothly, so why was this proving so difficult?

Honestly, because he had progressed so easily with Vacuum Style, he had expected to reach Ten Thousand Strikes without much difficulty this time as well.

Yet he had already encountered such an obstacle?

He lay down and stared at the sky.

Whether it knew how Su-ho felt or not, the sky remained perfectly clear.

What was he even doing?

Do not become discouraged. Try again.

With that thought, he rose, gripped the wooden staff again, and resumed thrusting.

Time passed until noon.

As he continued thrusting without any awareness of his surroundings, he suddenly sensed someone watching him.

When he turned his head, Spear Venerable was standing there, though Su-ho had no idea when he had arrived.

- What are you doing?

“Ah...... Spear Venerable.”

- I told you to thrust at the rock. Why are you thrusting at innocent empty air?

“Well......”

Like a child caught stealing candy from a stationery store, Su-ho avoided Spear Venerable’s gaze.

But Su-ho was not a child.

He was an adult.

So he returned his evasive gaze to Spear Venerable and answered honestly.

“To be honest, I was worried about breaking the wooden staff, so I was practicing by thrusting into empty air instead.”

- Why? Because I told you not to break it?

“Yes. So, to be completely honest, I tried to take a shortcut.”

- Because you reached Hundred Strikes by thrusting into empty air until now?

“Yes.”

His voice grew quieter.

Still, it was better to speak honestly.

After all, he had come here to learn.

Spear Venerable grinned.

- I will let it pass because you were honest.

“Thank you.”

- In that case, why do you think I gave you a wooden staff?

“I’m not sure.”

- Learning the technique with a fine spear would be of no help to you. You learned Heavy Strike Style because you wanted to improve your swordsmanship, didn’t you?

“That’s right.”

- Then you need to comprehend its principles instead of relying on the weapon. Only then will you truly achieve what you want.

He was right.

When Su-ho nodded, Spear Venerable smiled.

- Good. Then here is another question. If the principle of Vacuum Style is creation, what do you think the principle of Heavy Strike Style is?

“Isn’t the principle of Heavy Strike Style attack?”

- Are you certain?

Su-ho thought for a moment after being questioned again.

But it still seemed correct.

“Yes, I believe so.”

- Correct. Heavy Strike Style begins and ends with creating a thrust stronger than any other attack. That is why, strictly speaking, Heavy Strike Style has neither a Near-Pinnacle nor a Pinnacle. As long as you are capable of doing it, Heavy Strike Style allows you to keep increasing the number of its forms without end.

“Ah?”

Su-ho had never known that.

He had simply assumed that Heavy Strike Style, like every other martial art, possessed a Near-Pinnacle and a Pinnacle.

That was why he had always been curious.

One Strike, Ten Strikes, Hundred Strikes, Thousand Strikes, Ten Thousand Strikes, Hundred Million Strikes......

What came after that? Trillion Strikes? Hundred Quintillion Strikes?

And at which point did it become the Near-Pinnacle, and what constituted the Pinnacle?

Yet apparently, neither existed.

- Of course, there are many things you can do with a spear. You can slash with one, and you can swing it to block attacks. But I believe the spear’s foundation is the thrust. That is why I created Heavy Strike Style solely to perform the strongest possible thrust.

Spear Venerable took the wooden staff back from Su-ho.

Then he casually waved it through the air and said,

- But tell me. Is true strength really something you can create simply by swinging and thrusting harder? I do not believe it is. Do you know why? A swordsman is useless without a sword, correct?

“Isn’t that right?”

- Then what about a spearman? Is a spearman also useless without a spear?

“Wouldn’t he be?”

- No. An ordinary spearman already has ten spears attached to his body.

“Ten spears?”

- These.

Spear Venerable spread his fingers.

The ten spears he meant were his ten fingers.

- If you master Heavy Strike Style, even ordinary fingers like these can perform the strongest thrust. That is why I prepared this wooden staff. With that in mind, watch closely.

Spear Venerable approached a nearby boulder.

It was easily twice the size of the one Su-ho had intended to train on.

Spear Venerable thrust the wooden staff toward the boulder.

BOOOOM!!

A sound like a lightning strike erupted.

And then.

“......!”

Amazingly, an extremely deep hole had appeared in the boulder.